She was born in Jefferson City to Travis Leon Muse, Sr. and Roberta Jean Fowler Muse. Her mother, Roberta Douglas, survives in Jefferson City. Other survivors include a daugher, Amanda Muse Douglas, Jefferson City; two sisters, Michelle Farris, Desoto; and Cassandra Sistaita, Tulsa, Oklahoma; two brothers, Travis Muse, Jr., Jefferson City; and Dustin Clements, Raymondville; her maternal grandmother, Geneva L. Bohannan, Jefferson City; her step-mother, Brenda Clements, Holts Summit; and her step-father, Charles Douglas, Jefferson City. She was preceded in death by her father, and a sister, Jackie Muse. Memorials are suggested to the Nikki Muse Varney Memorial Fund. A homemaker, she was a 1992 graduate of Jefferson City High School.